November 17, 2023

Official MLBPAA News Release

Colorado Springs, Colo. - The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) is pleased to announce Texas Rangers infielder Marcus Semien as the overall winner of the 2023 Heart and Hustle Award.

This esteemed award honours active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and tradition of the game. The Heart and Hustle Award is also the only award in Major League Baseball that is voted on by former players.

Semien has earned recognition as a multiple-time recipient of the Team Heart and Hustle Award, clinching the honour four times while representing three different clubs—the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers.

The 2023 World Series champion continues to demonstrate a crucial impact in the clubhouse, on the field and in his community. During the Rangers 2023 regular season, Semien recorded 185 hits, 100 RBIs and 29 home runs, earning him his second All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger Award. In the 2023 postseason, he recorded 17 hits, 10 RBIs and two home runs.

Beyond his hustle on the diamond, Semien remains active in his communities and is a consistent supporter of the Texas Rangers Youth Academy, where he sponsored a new weekly food distribution program for the academy this past summer. He remains a continued supporter in local Texas and Bay Area charities as well as other various youth organizations, and his notable leadership has won him two Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) Marvin Miller Man of the Year Awards.

The MLBPAA formed 30 committees comprised of Alumni players with established relationships to each team. Fans, alumni and active players vote to select the final winner from 30 team winners. The previous overall winners are David Eckstein (2005), Craig Biggio (2006, 2007), Grady Sizemore (2008), Albert Pujols (2009), Roy Halladay (2010), Torii Hunter (2011), Mike Trout (2012), Dustin Pedroia (2013), Josh Harrison (2014), Anthony Rizzo (2015), Todd Frazier (2016), Brett Gardner (2017), Mookie Betts (2018), Howie Kendrick (2019), Ozzie Albies (2021) and Paul Goldschmidt (2022). No award was presented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.